Project aims to double water delivery capacity for eastern county cities

By C.J. McMANUSSun Advocate reporter

Working to mitigate the problems caused by drought conditions and over-consumption of culinary water, East Carbon contractors are racing to complete a project which could bring an additional 300,000 gallons of water a day out of the Grassy Trail Reservoir.

Young Excavating recently completed the first phase of East Carbon's Diversion No. 2 project and work will begin on the job's final phase, looking to bring new culinary H2O to Sunnyside and East Carbon.

While a significant amount of late summer rain has helped the area's aesthetics and agriculture, it has done little to alleviate city council worries about an ever shrinking Grassy Trail Reservoir.

Earlier this year, East Carbon received a $289,000 grant from the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board to finance the much-needed project.

The water will be captured just below the reservoir and gravity fed through new a 10 inch pipe, winding toward the city's water treatment facility. The flow from Diversion No. 2 has always been part of the East Carbon/Sunnyside system, however, multiple factors pull the water into the ground before it can reach the plant. This new pipeline will basically amount to doubling the amount of culinary water collected at the diversion.

The first phase of the project was completed largely by Young Excavating, who worked to divert flowing water away from the site, pump out additional water and clean the diversion's creek bed.

"We had to build a rock wall to mitigate the silt that continued to flow our way," said Terry Young of Young Excavating. "With that completed we removed the necessary limbs, brush and branches and began digging our channel."

With the channel complete, Young will now start installing 3,200 ft. of pipeline running from the diversion to the treatment plant.

During Tuesday's East Carbon City Council Session, Mayor Orlando LaFontaine voiced his approval concerning the project and spoke about several ways to raise additional funds to continue improving water collection and conservation.

"During this project, we found a large amount of scrap metal up there. That material coupled with the scrap we are going to get from the old lines could amount to some much-needed revenue for the city," said LaFontaine.

The mayor then oversaw a resolution which will allow material to be sold. All revenue obtained will then be put directly back into city water projects aimed at improving collection at Grassy Trail Reservoir Diversions No. 3 and No. 4.

According to the mayor, phase two of the current project is more difficult and time consuming. Installing the pipeline will require steady work and luck to be completed before cold weather halts the project, said LaFontaine.